"Hannibal Crosses the Alps Set" Topic

"After defeat in the first Punic War, many Carthaginians were eager for revenge against Rome, and none more so than Hamilcar Barca. He had endeavoured to keep Sicily for Carthage, but mismanagement by the Carthaginian government contributed to its loss, after which he went to the Iberian Peninsula, to reconquer it for Carthage and to plot a strike on Rome. He died in 228 BCE, but his son, Hannibal, took up the challenge and provoked war by capturing the city of Saguntum, a friend of Rome, in 219 BCE. His strategy was to take the war to the Italian mainland, so he took his army of about 46,000 infantry and cavalry overland, avoiding coastal areas friendly to Rome, which meant crossing the Alps. This was done in about 15 days, during November 218 BCE, and amazed both the Romans and everyone else, not least because his army included many elephants. Many men and animals were lost during this perilous journey, but Hannibal reached the Po Valley and would prosecute war with the Romans in Italy for the next 15 years. Hannibal and Carthage would eventually be defeated, but the crossing of the Alps created a legend that is still widely known and admired today, over two millennia after the event.

This is the first set from Linear-A, or indeed anyone else, to depict this dramatic episode, and it concentrates on the men as they moved through the passes towards the heart of the Roman Empire. A few of the poses are standing, but the bulk of them are walking, perhaps tired and demoralised, and certainly eager to reach warmer, more hospitable terrain. It's a simple idea, and most of the poses here are perfectly suitable for such a scene. Many have weapons and shields stowed, but a few have them in hand, perhaps fearing an ambush from hostile locals as they slowly struggled on. Of the poses worthy of particular comment, the last man in the top row is strange as he holds his spear in his left hand and holds his shield over his back with his right. It is not clear what he is doing, but we must assume that he is left-handed, as is another of the figures in this row also holding his shield in his right hand. Whether left-handed warriors swapped their hands like this, or conformed to the majority, we do not know, although perhaps it is more likely that they used their natural hands when on the march than in combat. The last figure in the second row is also something of a puzzle. He holds a long thin straight thing, which could perhaps be some form of rod, or a leash for an animal, or perhaps he holds a rope handrail there to help men keep their footing on some particularly treacherous stretch of snow-covered icy path…"

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Amicalement
Armand

Wot? No elephants?

My thought exactly!

All the elephants died in the crossing of the alps

(smile)

Amicalement
Armand

I thought out of his 40 elephants, one did survive. So you only need one figure. He supposedly rode into Capua upon this one elephant.

You are right my friend… (smile)

Amicalement
Armand

has anyone painted these?

It doesn't look like it – looks like the grey of the plastic to me ;-)

Sorry,
John

I thought out of his 40 elephants, one did survive. So you only need one figure. He supposedly rode into Capua upon this one elephant.

We don't know how many elephants survived the crossing of the Alps. The ancient sources don't mention any dying during that part of the expedition, and there were some – again, sources don't seem to say how many – surviving to fight at the Trebia. Livy says "of the elephants which survived the battle of the Trebia they lost seven" during the following winter – see link

Most of the elephants died wintering in the Po Valley after the battle of the Trebbia. At one point Hannibal was reduced to very few including one Asian elephant named Surus- which was used as an observation platform by his generals. Later at Capua he received more elephants and some appeared before Rome in his abortive attempt to panic the Romans.